Monthly Archives: September 2012

After the economy went south in 2008 and 2009, many parts of the construction industry suffered along with the economy at large. The housing sector – which reports now suggest may be in the process of a slight rebound – was hardest hit at the time. Because of the lack of work, many construction companies shifted their focus to public and institutional work. This sector seemed less impacted, perhaps largely due to money made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Philly.com reports that a deal has finally been struck between Post Brothers and the Philadelphia trade unions in relation to the Goldtex construction project. Congressman Bob Brady brought the two sides together at the Sheet Metal Workers union hall this week and brokered at least a temporary peace.

The Construction Research and Policy Center recently reported that falls on construction sites remain an issue. They are still the single leading cause of construction site fatalities, causing 1/3 of all deaths. The annual fall fatality rate is 3 per 100,000 among construction workers, a number six times that of deaths caused by texting while driving accidents.

In a recent opinion, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court significantly broadened an employer’s responsibility as a “statutory employer” under the Worker’s Compensation Law. In Six L’s Packing Co. v WCAB, a produce company subcontracted the trucking of its harvested produce to its warehouses. Although the trucking subcontractor had agreed to provide worker’s compensation insurance to its employees, it failed to do so. One of the subcontractor’s drivers was injured in a motor vehicle accident while transporting the employer’s produce. The driver filed a worker’s compensation claim against the produce company alleging that it was his “statutory employer” under the worker’s compensation law.

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